Askanya - Paradis 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Haiti bar - Feb. 27, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Los Chocolateries Askanya

(Haiti) Paradis 47% Cacao bar

Good +++ - Very Good

Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar

Calories: 145.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Enchanted Islands and Pirates Theme Week.

This Haiti Paradis 47% cacao bar was the last in the series of four bars from Los Chocolateries Askanya (Ouanaminthe, Nord-Est, Haiti). The bar was made in Haiti, using Haitian-grown cacao. The previous three bars from this maker featured this week were dark chocolate bars.

Today's Paradis 47% cacao bar was a delightful milk chocolate bar made with Haitian Cacao, Sugar, Milk and Cocoa Butter. It was smooth, almost creamy, and sweet with an appealing light fruitiness to it.

This was one of those milk chocolate bars that even a dark chocolate fan could appreciate.

Askanya - Wanga Neges 50% Cacao bar - Feb. 26, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Les Chocolateries Askanya

(Haiti) Wanga Neges 50% Cacao bar

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar

Calories: 145.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Enchanted Islands and Pirates Theme Week.

Today's Wanga Neges 50% cacao bar was made by Les Chocolateries Askanya (Ouanaminthe, Nord-Est, Haiti) using only Haitian-grown cacao and rapadura (rapadou).

Rapadura is made from sugar cane juice; however, the resulting sugar is not as heavily processed as white sugar, and it still includes a molasses component—giving it a slightly richer flavor and nutritional profile. It's metabolized a bit more slowly, and is similar to piloncillo and panela in terms of flavor.

And speaking of flavor, this bar had a lovely, satisfying caramelized brown sugar flavor throughout.

* Wanga Neges is a Creole term that translates to "hummingbird" or "woman charm."

Askanya - Minuit Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao Haiti bar - Feb. 25, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Les Chocolateries Askanya
Haiti Chocolat Noir Minuit 60% Cacao bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 145.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA


Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Enchanted Islands and Pirates Theme Week.

Today we continue with another bar from Haiti: the Minuit* 60% Cacao bar from Les Chocolateries Askanya (Ouanaminthe, Nord-Est, Haiti).

This bean-to-bar chocolate contained three ingredients: Haitian cacao, sugar and vanilla bean.

For a 60% cacao dark bar, it was remarkably sweet, to the point where the sweet eclipsed any subtle floral or other flavor notes that might have been in the cacao. Thankfully the richer chocolate flavor and dried fruit and fleeting citrus notes remained.

It is wonderful, and rare, to find and be able to enjoy chocolate made in same country where the cacao beans were grown. Making bean to bar chocolate "in country," in a tropical island nation like Haiti can be difficult. Chocolate is best made and stored in a cooler, drier place away from island sunshine.

A moment of hot sun on a loading dock can be disastrous for chocolate bars on their way to customers, in any country. Cacao growing countries with a lack of end-to-end climate and humidity controlled/air conditioned processing, storage and delivery infrastructure, with longer shipping routes to customers, face major challenges.

All the more impressive then that these Askanya bars this week were largely free of white blotches or "bloom" (usually areas where heat caused cocoa butter and cocoa solids to separate) and/or scuffs.

*Minuit means "midnight" in French. Minuit is also the last name of a Dutch colonist, Peter Minuit, who bought the island of Manhattan (present day New York City) from the Native Americans for traded goods with an estimated value of about $24.00 USD) in 1626. Pirate or shrewd businessman? You be the judge.

Minuit has also come to mean a colonist, or person who moves to a new country.

Askanya - Chocolat Noir Perle Rare 90% Cacao Haiti bar - Feb. 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Les Chocolateries Askanya
90% Cacao Haiti Chocolat Noir Perle Rare bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 145.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Enchanted Islands and Pirates Theme Week.

Today's Haiti Perle Rare 90% Cacao bar from Les Chocolateries Askanya (Ouanaminthe, Nord-Est, Haiti) was made in Haiti, with cacao grown in Northern Haiti.*

This bar had a slightly floral, slightly green (green tea, green shoots) dark chocolate aroma, and a rich, smooth chocolate flavor, with just a touch of sweetness.

Overall this 90% cacao, 2-ingredient bar was well tempered and had a nice, smooth buttery texture. The only rub: a very slight chalky finish/texture in some bites.

The two ingredients were: "Haitian Cacao and Rapadura (artisanal cane sugar)."

*Askanya sources their cacao from farmers who are members of Federation des Cooperatives Cacaoyeres du Nord (FECCANO). "These 3,000+ farmers grow their cacao on farms throughout the North of Haiti. They are currently organized in 9 cooperatives having each their fermentation and drying centers."